The Choices of NASCAR, February 18th, And A Million Points Of Light

I bid you welcome gentle readers, to the column promised
in one of last week’s articles. This is the article at the root of all the
problems NASCAR caused for Matt McLaughlin. It’s dated February 18, but most
would have found it waiting for them on the morning of February 19, 2001. I was
there; I read it, as did many of you. This is your chance to read it again… and
you might want to save a copy, just in case.

At What Price
Entertainment?

By Matt McLaughlin

SpeedFX

2/18/01

This is probably my
tenth attempt to write the required column in light of today's terrible tragedy
at Daytona Beach. None of the others were any good, and this one won't be
either. I can't stop crying long enough to compose my thoughts. Eventually
there will come a time to try to write an obituary, as if any words could sum
up the career of Dale Earnhardt or the man that he was. They can't. So the Hell
with it. Tonight's a night to just cry and to get angry.

I'm not the only
writer that’s called for an end to restrictor plate racing all this year.
Others, including Benny Parsons, have been hollering for years that it's time
to lower the banking at Daytona so the plates could be eliminated. And so many
times Dale Earnhardt himself put it so simply and directly, "This ain't
real racing." Earnhardt had more than his share of success on the
restrictor plate tracks, a record 11 victories on plate tracks including last
year's brilliant win at Talladega. But he's also had some of the worst wrecks
of his career at the plate tracks. Time after time he crawled out of overturned
and burning cars and waved at the crowd on his way to an ambulance. Heck, back
in 1997 Earnhardt got back behind the wheel of a thoroughly trashed Chevrolet
and finished the race. It seemed he really was the man of steel, the driver who
could walk away from any wreck, no matter how horrendous. But sadly, tragically,
today we learned even Dale Earnhardt was mortal.

The greatest race car
driver of this generation? Absolutely no question about it… but more
importantly, a husband, the father of four children, and a granddad. In
addition to his family, Earnhardt leaves behind him legions of friends and fans
struggling to cope with unspeakable tragedy. The amount of tears being shed
across this nation tonight is a tribute to how many lives Earnhardt touched.
What should have been the biggest day of his driver Michael Waltrip's
career, is now forevermore left under a dark cloud.

What makes Dale's
death that much more obscene is NASCAR's recent full court press in the media
to state their case they've done everything possible concerning safety and that
some elements of the media decrying their inaction were alarmists. No doubt now
they'll say that there's no way today's tragedy could have been predicted. Bull
crap! Just about every damn restrictor plate race ever run has featured
"the big one." But even with three tragedies last year, what was
done? A steering wheel mounted kill switch? About NASCAR officialdom’s only
excuse is that they really are as stupid as they've come across the last 18
months. Any time it comes to safety modifications, the onus is always put on the
car owners and drivers to pay for them. “Soft walls” are a cure worse than the
sickness." They are "scientifically not feasible." How about
lower banking? How about lower speeds? How about spending some of that money
FOX and NBC dumped into the track owners’ laps to make racing safer rather than
issuing "Fill in name here" notes of condolence. As the racing
community prepares to bury its brightest star, how about taking today's tragedy
as the final kick in the pants that ends the excuses and leads to solutions?

Please don't tell me
Dale Earnhardt died doing what he loved. He despised restrictor plate racing
and said so even after winning last year at Talladega. Dale ran plate tracks
four times a year only to gather points towards that eighth championship, which
will now forever go unclaimed.

NASCAR and FOX wanted
an exciting race to kick off the new alliance? Well they sure as Hell got one.
We'll be talking about this race for decades, for all the wrong reasons. And
special thanks to the new folks at NASCAR Dot Com kind enough to post the crash
video on their lousy new site for the enjoyment of any new fan who might have
been making a sandwich or hitting the head when Dale Earnhardt died. And it's
clearly evident how much "NASCAR's New Home on TV" cares about the
sport. God forbid they cancel Futurama to break the
news of the death of this sport's greatest driver. Any reasonable viewer
hearing Ken Schrader's comments, noting how quickly Dale Junior disappeared,
and how slowly the ambulance left, knew the situation was beyond bad. It wasn't
shown on TV, but the booth crew had to see frantic track personnel
administering CPR. But they couldn't stay live at the track? Somehow I doubt
that any amount of fancy graphics or fancy commercials are going to
"grow" this sport any more. It just may be the party is over, and
that's probably for the best.

I probably shouldn't
be writing right now. I'll probably get in trouble for it tomorrow. I should
probably go for a walk, call a friend or have a beer. I'm far too sad or angry
to make much sense, and I ain't low enough to crow "I told you so." A
great man… a man the likes of which we will never see again, has died and he
won't be there when they crank them up at Rockingham. So, to the fine folks who
didn't think the banking needed to be lowered, who didn't even feel a bumpy
track needed to be re-paved, who saw the price tags on soft walls and labeled
them impossible without investing money to turn them into reality, who put the
stockholders’ rate of return ahead of the ability for every driver out there to
return safely home to his loved ones, you've got blood on your hands. I hope
the lot of you rot in Hell.

Editor’s Note:

I propose tomorrow
evening at 7:03 PM (Seven championships, car number 3) we all light a candle
and put it in a window of our homes. Let Dale up in Heaven see a million points
of light in his memory.

To whom it may concern: Be it known that it was my choice… I am, as you
might expect, PattyKay Lilley… to run this article again, as it was revised
from its original wording, back in the year 2001. I have not sought permission
from the author, because as stated in my previous
article, he gave his treasures to me for safekeeping, and it is I that feels
this document puts a period on the story I told earlier. If anyone in Charlotte
or Daytona Beach has a problem with that, then your problem is with me, not
with Matt.

Gentle readers: Please include Matt McLaughlin in your prayers. He has
been in extremely poor health for some time now, and as mentioned last week,
did not respond to my Christmas wishes. I know nothing beyond that, but like
the old lady I am, I worry… because I care.

Be well gentle readers, and remember to keep smiling. It looks so good
on you!

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Race Fans Forever are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of Race Fans Forever. Race Fans Forever is not affiliated with NASCAR or any other motorsports sanctioning body in any form..